To save a sinking ship. Dump the captain or the crew?

It's always at the back of my mind. I am reminded constantly, with her presence. I couldn't stop thinking about it since last night. Today I didn't even bother finding an excuse to skip work anymore.

I always feel,

1. When you dread going to work, it's time to go.
2. When you cannot motivate yourself coming to work, it's time to go.
3. When you are becoming a liabiity to your team, it's time to go.
4. When you expire all solutions to a better workplace, it's time to go.

I fulfilled the first 3 points already and I can sense that my end is near. My final surge for a resolvement is going to happen a week from now, and seriously..I am not optimisstic. The issues have been lingering around for far too long, and with each passing day, it's getting harder to overcome...

Company B has a ship. And this ship needs 5 staffs to operate, namely the Captain, the 2nd-in-command (2IC) and 3 crews ( C1, C2 and C3). Everyone was interviewed and 'carefully' chosen based on their area of expertise. Everything seemed perfect on paper until the ship started sailing. They knew the sea was rough, and the journey ahead was arduous. But they were inspired. Or most were inspired to laboured on, knowing the fruits could only be sweeter. With hope, with teamwork, with motivation and leadership...they looked forward to the momentous task ahead. Alas! Life is not too rosy or easy afterall! A clash of opinions (with the captain) saw the 2IC left. C3 deserted his duties and was removed accordingly. Those that stayed ploughed on. A new Commanding Officer (CO) subsequently replaced the old one,  and another 2 new crews were enlisted (C4, C5). Things should be looking good again. Or so they thought. 

I have had wonderful memories of Breguet with my mates. Not everyone though but they know who they are. They are not just colleagues, they are friends. We have shared more than work, we have touched each other's lives and we have seen each other aged. If not for these good people, I would have left long ago. If not for the stong rapport and bonding we share, many would have left long ago. If not for our tolerated acceptance towards her, she should have left long ago.

2 1/2 years have passed since.

The ship is still sailing, abeit worsening climates. The team couldn't help with unforeseen situations but...something which was suspected intially, had became too apparent to ignore. The Captain. The wonderfully nice but audaciously incompetent Captain. She is nice, too nice in fact. She never flares nor criticises, she wears a motherly-like facade and she never raises her voice. But behind this protrayal of supposed kindness...conceals attributes of selfishness, compelling stubborness and non-existent leadership. She has the best meals, the most perks yet the least of contributions. She shuns away from critical situations, dodges the bullets and hinders procedures. SHe is the Captain and it's always her way or no way. There's no room for democracy. Slowly but surely, the resentment towards her builds up. Her flaws outweigh her strengths (if there's any to speak of), and her handicap in complying her duties is so glaring, it's hard to ignore. Her crews stop doing more than they could, sometimes they even stop doing what they should. Why should they accomadate their Captain's inadequacies, and let her have the cake and eat it too? They are beaten, disillusioned and disheartened. Without the full coordination of teamwork and leadership, their ship is sailing sugglishly to nowhere. They can do without her in this instance then, if she can't steer and command the ship better than they do, of which it's least expected of her. Experience in managing a ship doesn't ONLY means delegating complusory duties to others, while she accomplishes those inconsequential ones. Being instated as a Captain doesn't ONLY means being addressed as one. She have to walk her talk, instead of just talking. She have to take the lead and show her mettle.

The Breguet team is definitely showing signs of dissent. Any respect towards her, have only been superficial, maybe due to her title more than capabilities. Her standing as a manager has all but eroded. In our minds, she is redundant to the team, though not necessarily surplus. She has her worth still, maybe just not implemented into the right capacity. With immediate tweaking, damage can still be salvaged. If only Fabian will take note. If only Fabian has been listening to our subtle ramblings. If only Fabian knows beneath the air of peace, a storm is brewing. Soon.

"Shall we throw her overboard?"

The crew whispered among themselves.

"Shall we unite and risk being punished together? Shall we continue accepting the Captain's blatant discharge of irrelevant commands and endorse her insipid leadership? Or should we all just jump ship?"  

The crews always huddle together and discuss their options. Her induction was a mistake since day one and she has expired their patience. But...they are reluntant to act on their thoughts and banish her presence away from the ship forever. Not because she don't deserve it, but because they acknowledged that the Captain was never evil. Selfish? yes but never malicious. But does being nice, warrant an extended lease of engagement? By being kind to her, are they being shortchanged instead? No. They cannot be swayed. No amount of kindness can render the obvious truth that she has to be dispensed. Before all of them perish in a sinking ship...

WHen one man is prejudiced towards another, maybe he is biased. But when a TEAM shared the same sentiments, they couldn't possibly be in cahoots. No one was even sharing their opinions about her at all, until their frustrations towards her boiled over. How can the urge to remove someone happen so suddenly, in unison? THis is not sudden, definitely not. Bit by bit, little by little, she does herself no favour by persisting in her slanted ways of running the operation. Her self-imposed exemption from aftersales service, her self-proclaimed benefits of having every weekends off (when the rest only have twice a month), her consistently-miscued ways in planning the roster to her benefits and her embarrassingly lack of knowledge on our business products. Morale has hit rock-bottom. Hope is becoming doom. Her often-labeled 'staffs' (not colleagues) are diverting away from her. She is sitting alone, high and mightly on her pedestral...oblivious to the reception of her antics. None of us bothers trying anymore. Due to one misplaced person, the whole team are becoming liabilities. No one wants to work for her/with her anymore. Oh! How we celebrated her off days!! We are passing time, or maybe buying time...till the next opportunity comes. Who is the biggest loser now? Are you still insistent on your misguided faith in her absolute abilities, Fabian?



Dump the Captain or the crew? You tell me.